PEA: A Key to Natural Pain Relief (No… not that kind of PEA!)

Pain and suffering have reached epidemic proportions in our country. More than 100,000,000 Americans experience chronic pain. Every year, enough pain pill prescriptions are written to medicate every man, women and child in the country for over a month.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), over 130 die every single day in this country from opioid overdoses.

This is just nuts and totally unnecessary. There are natural, safe and effective ways to treat chronic pain without the use of these deadly drugs.

Pain-relieving drugs usually fail to heal injuries. While these drugs can stop the outward symptoms, they fall far short of addressing the underlying causes.

Scientists have discovered a fatty acid that naturally is found in the body that targets the underlying cause of chronic pain. It actually works at the site of the pain to turn off the pain signal according to Pain Physician in 2016.

Here Are 5 Natural Ways to Relieve Your Neck Pain Right Now...

(Especially If You Can’t Sleep At Night Or You’re Facing Dangerous Surgery)

Most importantly, by working at the site of the original injury or irritation, this peripherally acting fatty acid helps break the inflammatory pain cycle.

We’re talking about a compound commonly known as PEA (palmitoylethanolamine). But before we look at this revolutionary pain treatment, let’s look at…

THE PROBLEM WITH OTC PAIN RELIEVERS

Over the counter (OTC) pain relievers have inherent risks… yet the over-use of these drugs has become a standard practice – with devastating results:

Current users of ibuprofen (for only 1 – 7 days) have a 150% greater chance of suffering a heart attack.

Naproxen (Aleve) users using the drug for 1 – 7 days have a 153% greater chance of suffering a devastating heart attack.

Regularly taking NSAID’s (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen and aspirin have a 32% greater chance of kidney damage.

The massive over-prescribing of opioid painkillers has resulted in more than 500,000 deaths since the year 2000 according to ABC News.

A safer alternative is desperately needed. Scientists have been aggressively researching safer alternatives to relieve pain.

IT’S ALL ABOUT PEA…

This has led them to a natural fatty acid compound called PEA (palmitoylethanolamine) that works at the site of pain to turn off the pain signal.

Noticeable reductions in pain were seen after only 14 – 30 days of supplement use… and sometimes in as little as one week.

PEA is extremely safe to use. It does not have issues with dependence or addiction – because… unlike opioids… it does NOT involve using the body’s opioid pain receptors. It is a fatty acid the body naturally produces to lower inflammation.

In recent studies on animals, researchers proved that PEA downregulates distinct inflammatory and oxidative pathways to relieve chronic inflammation and nerve pain. Multiple clinical trials in humans, involving more than 1,100 participants, have proven that PEA is a powerful peripherally-acting pain reliever. That means it acts at the site of the original injury to normalize the body’s response to tissue damage.

Unlike the OTC medications, PEA has no documented risk of cardiovascular damage or risk of kidney damage. In addition, PEA may be used at the same time as the OTC medications… allowing the user to reduce the damaging effects of the harmful OTC meds.

PEA RELIEVES MOST COMMON FORMS OF PAIN…

Investigators tested PEA against sciatica nerve pain – a condition that involves inflammation and pressure on the main nerve running down the back of the leg. This kind of pain is one of the most common – with up to 43% of people reporting sciatica.

In this study, 636 patients with sciatica were randomly assigned to a double-blind study. In other words, they did not know if they were getting PEA or a sugar pill placebo. Some of the group got 300 mg of PEA while others received 600 mg daily.

After only three weeks, both groups receiving PEA reported significant pain reduction and improved quality of life scores compared to those getting the placebo.

This study also proved that PEA provides more effective pain control than most pharmaceuticals.

Researchers estimated how many patients would need to be treated in order to achieve a 50% reduction in pain. This is known as the “number needed to treat.” Any number below 5 indicates a useful pain intervention… with a 1 being the perfect score.

In this study, by the second week of treatment, the score was just under 3. And by week three, the number was down to a remarkable (and unbelievable) 1.5! This shows that PEA is remarkably effective in relieving pain.

PEA WORKS FOR MIGRAINES…

Next, PEA was tested on migraine headache sufferers. This is the sixth highest cause of disability worldwide. Two types of migraines exist: those with an aura and those without an aura. An aura is a collection of symptoms that usually occur before the migraine… but sometimes they occur during the migraine or without the migraine headache happening at all. Auras usually only last a few minutes and involve visual problems. However, they sometimes involve other senses, speaking ability or the motor function of the nervous system.

A single-blind study was conducted on 20 migraine sufferers who experienced severe pain as well as a visual aura. Each was given 1,200 mg of PEA daily for 90 days and evaluated at 30, 60 and 90 days. They also took an NSAID such as ibuprofen at the beginning of an acute attack.

By the 60 day mark, the patients experienced dramatic improvement in pain symptoms – and continued to improve up until the 90 day mark. There were fewer migraine attacks per month and fewer painful days each month. Most importantly, there were NO ADVERSE EFFECTS.

PEA WAS TESTED FOR CARPAL TUNNEL…

Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs as a result of compression of the nerves that run through the narrow space in the wrist. The result is inflammation, tingling, weakness or numbness in the hands.

A study compared a group that received no treatment to groups that received 600 mg of PEA daily or 1,200 mg daily.

After 30 days, both PEA groups reported less discomfort and symptoms compared to the group that received no treatment. They also reported less numbness along the nerve pathways… with a reduction in pain-related inflammation and better function.

PEA WAS TESTED AGAINST IBUPROFEN…

To test this, researchersused a randomized study comparing ibuprofen to PEA to see which was more effective at reducing pain. This particular group of patients suffered from temporomandibular joint pain (TMJ)… a usually long-term condition that may cause severe jaw and ear pain.

In this study, 24 patients with TMJ were divided into two groups. The first group took ibuprofen at 600 mg three times daily for two weeks. The second group took 300 mg of PEA in the morning and 600 mg in the evening for the first week – then the evening dose was reduced to only 300 mg. Please note that 1,800 mg of ibuprofen is extremely high and dangerous – yet many chronic pain sufferers take it anyway.

Within two weeks, those taking PEA experienced a greater decrease in pain than those taking high doses of ibuprofen. They were able to open their mouths wider (limited movement is a part of TMJ) and with less pain than those in the ibuprofen group.

Very importantly, PEA was able to accomplish this minor miracle with zero side-effects.

PEA IS ABLE TO PROTECT THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Since PEA reduces inflammation at the outlying site of pain, it is a very effective pain reducer for chronic pain. New data suggests that PEA may act on the central nervous system to stop neuroinflammation.

For Parkinson’s disease patients, recent data suggests that by combining the anti-inflammatory effects of PEA with the drug levodopa (often used to treat Parkinson’s), the progression of the disease may be slowed.

Thirty patients with advanced Parkinson’s who were already being treated with levodopa were given a slew of cognitive tests before and after treatment with PEA. They received 1,200 mg daily for three months… followed by 600 mg daily for up to one year.

Investigators found a significant reduction in both motor and non-motor issues. Amazingly, after a year of PEA supplements, many of the patients had all of their Parkinson’s issues disappear. This is an unheard-of reversal of a disease that was assumed to incurable!

Studies are currently going on to discover the potential for PEA to protect against and treat other neurodegenerative diseases like ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and Muscular Dystrophy.

NSAIDs are some of the most commonly used pain medications. The drugs work by lowering the level of prostaglandins – compounds that initiate acute inflammation and increase sensitivity to pain by blocking an enzyme called cyclooxygenase which is needed to produce them.

Since most common NSAIDs (such as Naproxen and Ibuprofen) are available over the counter without a prescription, millions of people self-prescribe these drugs for their pain.

This fallacy is dangerous since many over the counter drugs can have deadly side effects. The drugs are intended for very short term use only – no more than several days. Longer use may be very dangerous – even fatal. Considering that many people use NSAIDs for chronic types of pain… such as neck pain or arthritis – this is a serious problem.

It is true that NSAIDs reduce inflammation in some parts of the body. But prolonged use can lead to stomach lining destruction, gastritis and ulcers. Gastrointestinal bleeding and even rupture of the stomach may happen – which can be deadly.

Even with short-term use (a week or less), NSAIDs can cause heart attacks and strokes.

If that’s not bad enough, damage to the kidneys often occurs. Prolonged use may lead to severe enough damage to cause kidney failure and possibly the need for dialysis or even a kidney transplant. Often, the kidney damage is not noticed until it is too late. Blood tests are used to evaluate kidney function.

Patients that already have pre-existing kidney damage are more susceptible to further damage by using NSAIDs. Another risk factor – high blood pressure – which often occurs in the younger population – makes it more likely that kidney damage may happen.

Here’s the take-away message: NSAIDs should not be taken lightly. It is highly recommended to limit their overall use… and substitute safer alternatives when possible.

Chronic pain usually involves both inflammation at the remote body part as well as the brain misinterpreting pain signals. Long-term use of pain-relieving drugs can cause many side-effects (some possibly lethal) and fails to address the root cause of chronic pain.

Most doctors that practice “modern medicine” are poorly trained in the art of pain control. They know of only two solutions…

Prescribe pain killing drugs which do not address the underlying cause of the pain. In other words, as soon as the drugs are stopped… the pain returns.

When drugs fail to control the pain, the offending part is cut out with the use of invasive and dangerous surgery.

Always remember… by thinking outside the box… it is possible to reduce or even end stubborn chronic pain. No one should have their lives ruined by chronic pain. Everyone deserves and can lead happy, healthy pain-free lives.

PS: The ideas put forth in this article are not some pipe-dream. It truly is possible to control and eliminate long-standing severe pain. Interested in finding out how? Just click on “Get One-On-One Help” at www.stopneckpainnaturally.com and we’ll discuss it.

Howard

Share on

Here Are 5 Natural Ways toRelieve Your Neck Pain Right Now...

Here Are 5 Natural Ways to Relieve Your Neck Pain Right Now...

(Especially If You Can’t Sleep At Night Or You’re Facing Dangerous Surgery)

Howard Lubin

My goal is to help other sufferers like myself avoid the 'pain hell' that I spent so many years trying to cure. My alternative, holistic solutions offer treatments based on natural herbs, therapeutic stretches, and healthy dieting...